Senior Day and Future Plans

Hello Everyone!

It is crazy to think that senior year is coming to a close. I am so excited for what is in store for the rest of the season considering that we’ve had a successful one so far. I can remember being a freshman and in a blink of an eye, I am a senior. Freshman year was my favorite year because we won the Big South Tournament and went to the NCAA Tournament. It is an amazing feeling knowing that all the hard work that was put in paid off in that very moment. This year’s team is so special and winning Big South is definitely in the plans this season. With my senior season almost over, it would be awesome to leave with a ring. It has been exciting to see my team play together and enjoy the success we've had so far this year.

Another highlight of my college career was being able to go to Kenya this summer with my teammate Molly through Athletes in Action. I want to shout out Sarah Boruta, our DOBO, because without her this trip would not have been possible. She always does the behind the scenes work for our team and has helped me grow in so many areas in my life. Going to Kenya has changed my perspective on life and hopefully one day I can go back.

During my time at Liberty, I have grown so much and made so many relationships. I specifically would like to thank my coaches for believing in me to play at this university and all the advice I have been given in my time here. I would like to thank my teammates for all the support they have given me over the past four years; they will always be my sisters in Christ on and off the court. Lastly, I would like to thank Erin Hagen, our Senior Women’s Administrator, for all the support she brings for our women’s sports and how much of a positive influence she has been to me.

Since I am a senior, you all are probably wondering what’s next? I was recently accepted into a program through the Women's Basketball Coaches Association called “So You Want To Be A Coach” and in this program, participants go to the Final Four and network with several coaches and administrators. It is definitely a blessing and right on God’s timing. I am excited for this opportunity and looking forward to staying around basketball in either a coaching or administrative position.

This Saturday is Senior Day and it will definitely be a bittersweet moment. I would love for everyone to come out and support us as we fight to clinch the regular season title!

Go Flames!

-Sheana Vega #20

Fun Facts About Croatia

Hi Everyone,

Since most of you know me as the blonde foreign girl on the basketball team, I decided to tell all of you something more about where I actually come from. I was born and raised in Croatia. Croatia is a little country situated at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe. It shares the Adriatic Sea with Italy and it is surrounded by Slovenia, Hungary, Bosnia, Montenegro and Serbia.

Since I barely get any breaks because of basketball and it takes approximately 18 hours of traveling to get home, I only get to see my friends and family during the summer. I miss them a lot, especially my younger sister Mirta, who is one of the most interesting people you'd ever meet. She is studying German and English, she’s a back vocal in a rock band, and she loves changing the color of her hair, which is currently purple, lol.

Anyway, let’s get back to the point. I know most of you will probably be surprised to hear that Croatia has only been independent country for 26 years. It used to be part of a big country called Yugoslavia, but due to the independence war, Croatia is finally a democratic republic, as most of the European countries. Croatia is known for it’s beautiful nature, clear sea, rich history, and believe it or not, athletes. 

The capital city of Croatia is Zagreb, but in my opinion, the most beautiful Croatian cities are situated on the coast. Although they are really small, those Mediterranean cities are home of some of the loveliest beaches you’ve ever seen. Also, the architectural composition of those cities comes from the time of the Roman Empire so not only it looks amazing, but it also tells a story. It is hard to explain the beauty of it in words so I would suggest you to look up the following cities to understand what I am talking about: Dubrovnik, Split, Zadar, Pula, and Poreč. Fun fact for Game of Thrones fans, if you wish to see the real “King’s Landing“, go to Dubrovnik because that’s where it’s filmed.

As I previously said, although Croatia has a population of only 4.5 million, it has many great athletes. Croatia is a home of many of the world’s famous soccer and basketball players. There’s currently 6 Croatians in the NBA. I also can’t fail to mention that my country is the 2017 worlds champion in waterpolo and Croatian national handball team won the Olympics twice.

Oh and I think it is worth mentioning that the man who is the reason that the world has a modern alternating current electricity supply system was born in Croatia. Ever heard of Nikola Tesla? 🙃

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading this and learned something that you didn’t know. If this made you want to visit Croatia, I'll take all the credit for it and I am more than willing to be your tour guide. 😉

Go Flames!

-Iva Ilic #24

Ola's Dreams Come True

Hey Everyone,

My name is Aleksandra Makurat. Friends call me Ola. I am a sophomore here at Liberty and this is my second year in the U.S. I was born in Gdansk, in the north of Poland. I come from the small town of Sierakowice situated in the very heart of Kashubian region. There lives my family...my mom, dad and two sisters. I am proud of my roots. My parents raised me in the Christian spirit. They also made me interested in basketball and a basketball was always within my reach. My mother is a former athlete, and now a coach. Also, my dad played as an amateur. My sisters love this sport the same as I do. As you can see, basketball is our common family passion.

Since I can remember, I always have wanted to be professional at what I do. Even when I was much younger, I was very keen on my sporting development. I always wanted to be better and better, though my physical conditions were not ideal. Specifically, I could not see well in my left eye, so I would always drive to the left because that would allow my good, right eye to see most of the court around me. Because of that, even though I am right handed, I am very capable of going to the left as well! My eye eventually healed, but still I knew that it was necessary to work very hard every day to become an outstanding player. My parents sometimes recall the times when as a little girl I managed to persuade them to take me to another city where I wanted to practice.

I wanted to make my dreams come true, and one of them always was go to the United States. At that time it was just abstract thinking. But one day it turned out that it could happen! My dreams started to come true! However, before this happened, I had to face some health problems. I think that this had an immense influence on my present attitude, as I succeeded in spite of pains and tears. This is why I am now a stronger person and I understand people who are going through similar difficulties. In this hard time for me, I entrusted myself to Jesus, and I know that my faith was my strength. I was looking for motivation and I remember the verse that says..."God will find a way to overcome your problems, even when it seems impossible to you."

These trials made me interested in the fields of science, and namely Sport Psychology. In my country it is very difficult for the young players to combine professional sport with education. It is even more wonderful that at Liberty I could choose the study area in which I am so interested (sport psychology), which is not too popular in Poland and do at the same time what I really love - play basketball. My parents have always told me that with God all things are possible, and nothing is possible without God, and that is why I am doing everything the best I can and leave the rest to HIM.

My stay in America opened my eyes to the true beauty of Poland and our Polish culture. I appreciate Poland more than ever before. I would like to thank my family for their support and encouragement. They watch my games no matter what, even though they are 6 hours ahead in Poland and timing is not always perfect. It's a huge motivation and I'm lucky because I can feel their love even though I am so far away from home.

Sisters in Christ

Hi Everyone,

This past summer, our team got to experience something we hadn't had the chance to do as a whole. We took a team bonding trip to Camp Hydaway, where we encountered many challenging experiences. Our FCA leader, Rebekah, divided us into groups, which were the people that we bunked with, completed challenges with, and did other specific exercises with.

Over the course of the weekend, we expressed our greatest fears, strengths and weaknesses, and goals for our upcoming season. All of our groups competed in a scavenger hunt in the dark and after that we got to make our own ice cream sundaes! We even ziplined in the fog, which was the scariest of all but surprisingly my favorite! I’ve never done anything like that before, so I’m glad my teammates encouraged me to conquer my fears. We also rock climbed, played an insane game of frisbee, and swung on this GIANT swing set. Getting to see everyone’s reactions when they were dropped from the air was probably the most hilarious moment of the weekend.

Of course, all those sound like great things (which they were), but our mental toughness was truly put to the test when we went hiking at 4AM!!!! Now I’m not a morning person at all so at first, I wasn’t so hype about this hiking adventure. However, once we reached the top of the mountain it was one of the greatest moments ever. We made it just in time to watch the sunrise and see how wonderful God’s work truly is. We prayed together and left the mountain with greater spirits than when we got there. There were many laughs, tears, and a little bit of complaining, but it was truly great to find comfort in your teammates and your coaches as well. Not only do I consider my teammates as women I play with on the court, but my sisters in Christ as well.

Go Flames!

Kierra Graham #10